7 Uniqueness of Baby Graves in Tana Toraja

Tana Toraja is one of the best tourist destinations in South Sulawesi. From Makassar, Tana Toraja can be accessed with two routes, namely land and air. The land route takes quite a long time, ranging from 8-9 hours. While the airplane route from Makassar took 50 minutes. however, flights are only available on certain days and hours.

The beauty of the nature and ancestral culture possessed by the Toraja people became its own allure. Entering the city center of Toraja, you will be presented with the splendor of tongkonan houses that are a symbol of this ancestral tradition.

Do not stop there. You will see various unique things from traditional ceremonies, stone graves, to special baby graves. Yes, Toraja is one of the regions in the world that believes in the sanctity of infant mortality.

known as Passiliran, this baby grave in Kambira should not be missed when on vacation in Toraja. Containing a profound philosophy, here are seven facts about the phenomenal Kambira baby grave.

1. Babies under 6 months old

Babies who are buried specifically are babies who died when they were not yet six months old. Infants under the age of six months are still considered sacred and have no sin at all. So he had to go through a special funeral process to make it look like he was returning to the mother's womb.

2. Not yet teething
In addition to the age requirement, those who will follow the passiliran procession are babies who have not yet gotten teeth. As with age, babies who have not yet gotten the right to get special funeral rights to return to the Supreme Creator.

3. Buried in the tarra tree

The tarra tree is the only one chosen for passilliran. This tree is considered the best choice because it has a lot of sap and can stand upright. Its length reaches 100-300 centimeters.

4. Buried without a cloth covering the body

Usually, the body will be wrapped in a shroud or worn with good clothes. However, babies buried in the tarra tree do not use any cloth. This is believed to be a symbolic that the babies return to the holy state as in their mother's womb.

5. Carried out by followers of Aluk Tolod

At present, not all Toraja people practice the funeral of babies in the tarra tree. This is only done by those who still adhere to the teachings of the ancestors or usually called Aluk Todolo.

6. Position of the tomb according to the social strata

7 Facts about Baby Graves in Tana Toraja

Funeral procession is fairly simple. The tarra tree is hollowed out the size of a baby corpse. Then the baby is put into a hole that is available and closed or palm.

Even though the process is simple, but this funeral ceremony should not be arbitrary. Toraja people still believe in the level of social strata. So, the higher the family's social strata, the baby will get the highest place in the tarra tree. Vice versa.

7. The location of the tomb faces the funeral home

Besides the social strata, the next thing that cannot be separated from this burial procession is the location of his tomb. The location of the tomb is not arbitrary, but must be placed in the direction of the funeral home. This is to reward the bereaved families.

this procession has always been carried out since the days of the ancestors to this day. Interestingly, although many babies are buried in a tarra tree, the funeral never stinks. The community also never runs out of tarra trees for funerals.